


all i ever wanted was to dream another sunset with you

by harrytomlinsonwhoops



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Smut, Genderbending, Girl Direction, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 06:11:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5080699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrytomlinsonwhoops/pseuds/harrytomlinsonwhoops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"my heart is pounding," louis says. "feels like it might jump out of my chest." harry moves a bit closer to her, and reaches her hand across, using her other one to help her stay upright in the water. her hand is soft and warm on louis' chest, and she feels her heartbeat speed up with her touch.</p><p>harry's cheeks darken, and she smiles shyly at louis. "feels like a stampede," she whispers, and louis' loud laugh in response feels wrong somehow. harry gently uses her other hand to guide louis' hand to her own chest, and they're both just treading water now. harry's chest is warm, and her heart is racing almost as fast as louis. "this is how i feel, around you," harry says quietly, and louis drops her hand from harry's chest like she's been burnt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	all i ever wanted was to dream another sunset with you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Star55](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star55/gifts).



> This is a product of listening to _Girls Like Girls_ by Hayley Kiyoko right after _Summer Love _by One Direction. This is for Star, who didn't ask for it, but hopefully enjoys it anyway. I love you more than I love Girl Direction babe, and that's saying a lot. Thanks to Amy, as always, for editing and basically holding my hand while writing; you're the best.__

louis rolls her eyes and huffs a breath, blowing her hair out of her face. "it will too fit in my suitcase," she argues, even as her mum glares at her. 

"not if you want room for your  _clothes_ lou," her mum replies, and louis brushes away her concerns with a wave of her hand. 

"i'll just share with lottie, it's fine," she says. there's a distant yell of  _don't bloody count on it_ , that comes from the direction of lottie's room, and her mum raises her eyebrows at her. "see, she's totally fine with it," louis tells her, smiling angelically. 

"at least make sure you bring clean underwear," her mum sighs, defeated. "and lou- i swear to god, i didn't save for two years just to spend this vacation bandaging up your wounds. you better spend _at least_  sixty percent of your time with me or your sisters, and  _not_ with your skateboard," her mum begs, before pausing, and looking thoughtful. "though, if you meet a cute boy, i  _suppose_ that will be forgiven. i'm a bit of a sucker for a summer romance, after all," she grins, and louis feels the words  _i don't think i want a boy, actually_ bubbling up in her throat, but now probably isn't the best time to shove a sexuality crisis on her mum, so she swallows the words down, and rolls her eyes before she leaps across her bed to wrap her mum up in a bear hug.

her mum has been very sad lately. she's been arguing with mark for months, if not years, and he'd finally walked out. he'd been back to see the girls a lot, and louis suspects he'll come back to see her mum again, but she doubts that it'll last. she doesn't think mark has ever quite forgiven louis for not being his, and she knows that her mum knows it. this vacation is mostly supposed to be a breath of fresh air for her mum; time away from mark, and the constant pressures of her job. "promise mum," she mumbles into her neck, and jay squeezes her tight.

***

australia is sunny, and hot, and beautiful, and sandy, and exotic, and hot, and big and  _hot_. louis loves it. she throws away the two pairs of socks her mum made her bring when they land and she resolves to spend the entire fortnight in nothing but her bikini and flip flops. there's a minor blip when they first arrive at the hotel, and louis's mum walks into the room she's sharing with lottie and fizzy and figures out pretty quick that while louis packed her skateboard, she 'forgot' her helmet. she leaves smiling though and louis brags to her younger sisters about how she has their mum wrapped around her little finger, but an hour later her mum is shoving the ugliest fucking thing onto her head, and daisy and phoebe are  _howling_ with laughter.

"this is  _pink_ ," louis protests, and her mum smiles wickedly at her. her teachers at school always commented on louis' pranking tenancies, but none of them ever figured out that her evil streak was  _definitely_ something she inherited. "and it has  _flowers_ on it, mum,  _flowers_."

"butterflies too," daisy manages to add, even through her laughter.

"well you should have brought your own then, huh?" her mum says, giving louis the  _look_ , and louis nods meekly, buckling the helmet under her chin. "i just want my baby to be safe," her mum continues, laying it on thick.

lottie and fizzy have come into the room now, through the adjourning door connecting the two rooms, and lottie's laughing so hard that there are tears streaming down her face, and louis swears that she's never going to speak to any of her sisters ever again. "i hope you lot realise that you've just made yourselves a powerful enemy," louis huffs. "a powerful enemy who will be  _sharing your room_ for the next two weeks."

she doubts they even hear her over their laughter, and when her mum finally gives in and starts giggling with them, louis picks up her skateboard and backpack off of phoebe's bed and storms out, already devising ways to get back at her sisters.

(it's her mum who  _really_ deserves to be pranked, but louis meant what she said before- she wants this vacation to be as relaxing as possible for her mum, and she knows the other girls agree. so if someone's orange juice just  _happens_ to be swapped with their shampoo, she knows that nobody will snitch. she'll just have to make sure she checks her food extra carefully for the next week, that's all).

*

walking through the hotel, louis continuously sees flashes of light. it reminds her of a camera, or something, but she never actually  _sees_ the camera. or like, a person attached to it, so. she’s probably just tired, she reasons. the flight  _was_ really long, and the twins kept her awake for all but one hour of it.

when she walks out of the hotel lobby, a cool gust of wind hits her face and she smiles, lifting her face up to the sun. when she opens her eyes, she sees  _another_  flash of light, and looks around curiously. she doesn’t see anything, so she shrugs her curiosity off and gets herself into position on her skateboard.

she almost knocks over four people on her way- people in sydney are in a constant hurry, apparently- but manages to make it to the beach in one piece. after yawning into her hand six times in the space of one minute, she decides that exploring can wait, but napping cant.

she finds a nice patch of sand and whips off her shorts, flopping down onto her towel. she falls asleep almost instantly, jet lag finally catching up to her, and as she drifts off, she has a moment of regret for not putting sunscreen on, because the sun is shining brightly above her, and she's  _probably_ going to wake up looking like a lobster. sleep wins out though, so she closes her eyes and crosses her fingers, hoping for a tan instead.

*

when she wakes up, the sun has disappeared. after she wipes the sleep from her eyes, and actually like,  _opens_ them, she notices that the sun is still very much in the sky, but a large umbrella is blocking it. 

there's a small cough from behind her, and louis turns around. the second she sees the girl her mouth literally  _drops_ , and she's pretty sure she's drooling, but she doesn't even really  _care_ because this girl is literally the girl of her dreams.

"hi," she says, attempting to subtly wipe her mouth, just in case. the girl smiles at her, and then somehow manages to trip over, even though she's sitting down.

"oops," she laughs, a blush spreading across her cheeks. louis grins at her, and helps her straighten herself up. "i'm harry," the girl says, smiling. her lips stretch across her whole face, practically, and louis wonders if she's wearing lipstick, or if her lips are just naturally that red. "styles. harry styles, i mean."

"proper bond introduction," louis grins. "i'm louis tomlinson," she introduces herself, accepting harry's offered hand. louis has never met anybody under the age of eighty who wanted to shake her hand, but harry's hand is soft and warm around hers, so she doesn't mind, really.

"you're english!" harry informs her, and louis nods. "me too, i'm from holmes chappel, in cheshire," she says, and louis smiles.

"that explains the accent," louis says, and harry grins back. "i'm from-"

"wait, i'm an expert with accents, let me try and guess," harry interrupts. her green eyes are sparkling in the sunshine, and louis is a little bit in love. "say something, so i have a bit more to work with," the girl commands, and louis blushes as she tries to think.

"um, okay, so. i'm on holiday?" she starts, and harry smiles encouragingly. "with my mum, and four little sisters. they're all kind of a pain though, so i thought i'd skateboard around for a bit, but then i mostly just wanted to nap, so," she pauses, and harry's still staring at her, head cocked to the side as she thinks. "thanks for the umbrella, and all. i did think it would have sucked to wake up all burnt and stuff."

harry grins then, like a light bulb has just gone off in her brain. "doncaster!" she cries out, and louis nods. "i'm here with my mum, stepdad, and older sister, who's annoying too," harry continues, smiling. "and you're welcome, for the umbrella."

it's then that louis notices the camera hanging around harry's neck, and remembers the flash when she left the hotel. "hey!" she exclaims. "you took photos of me back at the hotel earlier today!" she accuses, and harry blushes prettily. 

"um. and just now, when you were sleeping?" she admits, biting her lip. "you're very like, photogenic. and after i put the umbrella up, so you wouldn't burn, there were like, cool shade patterns, on your skin, and i'm sorry because it's probably really creepy to have a random girl you don't know take photos of you, and i'll like, delete them if you want and all, but they turned out really well i think, and you look really good in them, and-"

"it's okay," louis interrupts. "i mean- a bit weird, sure. but. it's fine, really."

harry breathes a sigh of relief. "i'm not going to like, do anything with them, except print them out for my room, probably. but you're just- beautiful, so. i couldn't help myself."

it's louis that blushes this time, though she doubts its as pretty as harry. "that's sweet of you, to say," she says softly, and harry smiles. "so, um. you're a photographer, then?"

harry nods so enthusiastically that her curls bounce up and down, and louis is momentarily stunned. "not like, professionally, or anything. i'm only fifteen, so. but i did the photos for my bakery's website, and since then i've been doing stuff for a few more local businesses, and all." harry's smiling, and she looks proud of herself.

"let me see," louis says softly, gesturing to the camera. harry passes it over, and louis flicks through the photos. harry's captured her perfectly. even in the photos of her skateboarding, where the scenery around her is a blur, she stands out, solid, and unmoving. she looks- beautiful. the photos before her are of harry, and another girl, standing in front of a large plane. 

"that's my sister, gemma," harry says quietly, from behind louis. "she's my best friend."

louis smiles softly. harry and her sister look very similar, their smiles almost identical. "she's gorgeous," louis says, and harry smiles.

"she's the pretty one," harry agrees, and louis shakes her head.

"no- you're beautiful too. you guys could almost be twins, probably," she says, blushing slightly. 

harry beams at her. "are your sisters as pretty as you?" she asks, and the slight blush on louis' cheeks flares up.

"um. fizzy's prettier, i think. she's the one who looks most like me. lottie's the- like, beauty queen. i guess. we don't look related in the slightest, probably. the twins are only like- five now, so i don't think they really look like anyone. except each other, of course. being twins and all that," louis rambles, mentally hitting herself. 

harry's smiling at her politely, so louis just shuts up. "do you have any photos of them?" she asks, and louis pulls out her old dinosaur of a phone, and after about six years, manages to find a group shot of them where they all look relatively normal. 

"the one with the dark hair is fizzy," she says, pointing.

"is fizzy short for something?" harry asks.

"felicite," louis nods. "and the blonde one, next to me, is lottie. short for charlotte. and the two identical children are daisy, and phoebe."

harry nods wisely, "the twins," she says, and louis grins. "how old are they all? and- how about you, as well?"

"i'll be eighteen in about a month" louis says, frowning. she's getting old, and she doesn't like it. "um. lottie is eleven, and fizzy's nine. they've only recently had their birthdays, actually. and the twins are five. maybe six. but- i don't think they've begun school yet, so, five, probably," louis continues, thinking hard. four birthdays is a lot to remember, she tells harry, who just wrinkles her nose at her.

"you've only got three, actually, seeing as two of them share," harry corrects, and louis laughs.  

"oops," she says, and harry smiles. "you said you were fifteen, right?" harry nods happily. of course. she's only young, she doesn't have to worry about wrinkles, the way louis does. "what about your sister? she's older, yeah?"

"eighteen," harry confirms. "actually, she'll have her birthday while we're here. the big nine oh. she's dreading it," harry informs her, with a large grin. "something about grey hair, and wrinkles. i don't really listen when she talks."

louis grins back. "i like the sounds of her, you should introduce us," she suggests, and harry's smile falters.

"only if you remember that i was your friend first," harry says, softly. louis blinks.

"we're friends?" she asks, and harry cocks her head at her. "i mean. we just met."

"i have a sixth sense about these things," harry whispers, like she's telling a secret. "i knew it from the moment i saw you."

louis blushes. "knew what?"

harry wraps an arm around her shoulders. "that we were going to be best friends. i mean- originally, i was a bit bummed, on account of i thought you were australian, and i don't get paid enough at the bakery to visit here much, but you're british, like me, so it's like- um, destiny, i think."

louis smiles softly, leaning gently in to harry's touch. "fate," she agrees, and harry's answering smile is brighter than the sun. 

***

louis spends the next two days exploring sydney with her family. they climb the sydney bridge (well, jay, fizzy and louis do. daisy and phoebe are too little, and lottie quickly volunteers to stay behind to watch them. louis gleefully teases lottie about the beads of sweat that appear on her forehead when she offers to swap with her, since she knows lottie just  _loves_ heights. lottie almost pushes her in the harbor, in retaliation) and visit the oprah house (well, jay, lottie, and the twins do. fizzy and louis claim starvation, and promise that after they've had a sandwich, or something, they'll  _come and find you mum, swear it_. (they don't)). they shop for long enough that louis swears her feet are bleeding, and then at the end of the second day, jay takes them all out to a nice restaurant. 

daisy falls asleep before desert, almost landing face first in her soup, and phoebe accidentally gets given fizzy's chicken, which turns into an awful fight as the twins had declared last month that they were vegetarians after their class at kindergarten had a pet chicken that they just fell in love with, and lottie spends the whole meal pretending she doesn't know anybody, because a 'really cute boy- but  _don't look over there now mum, god,'_   is sitting near them (he's like, thirteen and pimply and spends  _his_ whole meal staring at louis' chest, and louis pulls on his hair hard enough to make him tear up when she walks past to go to the bathroom).

nobody throws food, and nobody raises their voice (phoebe yelling at the waiter about being a chicken murderer aside), so louis counts it as a win.

***

the next day, harry appears outside her room. "someones here for you lou," lottie calls out, yawning, before she crawls back into her bed, falling back asleep instantly. it's eight in the morning, and louis growls as she climbs out of bed. 

"i brought you a smoothie," harry says, cheerfully, shoving some green drink in louis' hand. it looks like vomit, and it is entirely too early for this.

"it's the middle of the night," louis informs harry, who frowns. "and- how did you even know what room i was in?"

harry blushes. "i bribed the hotel manager with some freshly baked cookies. and it's  _morning_  louis, that's what they call it when the sun is out."

louis gamely takes a sip of her drink as harry looks at her with her goddamn eyes. she looks like a wounded puppy, and louis hates her, a little bit. the drink takes  _disgusting_ , but louis swallows it anyway, which earns her a smile from harry, so. "what are you doing here?" she asks, sagging against the door frame. 

"i thought we could go exploring together," harry explains cheerfully. "i brought my camera, and i was hoping you could model for me, maybe."

louis stares at her for a long moment, before turning around and heading back to bed. "get in," she commands, placing the disgusting vomit drink at the sink. "let me sleep for another hour, and then i'll go anywhere you want," harry beams at her as she kicks off her shoes and climbs in the bed. "i'm leaving the smoothie here though," louis adds, sipping some water, trying to rid the taste of  _awful_ from her mouth.

fizzy's snoring loudly in her bed, lottie is tossing and turning, and harry's pulling off her jumper, snuggling under louis' covers. louis has been trying to ignore this feeling that's constantly sitting inside of her, eating away at her heart, but harry pouts at her, and the hole feels that little bit larger.

louis pushes down the feeling, and rolls her eyes at harry as she crawls in next to her and promptly falls asleep (she wakes up with harry's arms snaked around her waist, the heat from her body warming louis right down to her always cold toes. harry's hair is soft on her skin, and her breath ghosts over louis' neck. louis is  _so fucked_ ).

*

two and a half hours later, harry eyes louis' skateboard with distrust.

"it's easy," louis promises, crossing her fingers behind her back. 

harry rolls her eyes. "louis, what did i do when we first met?"

"fell over," louis responds promptly. "even though you were sitting down."

"right. yet you  _still_ think i'll somehow manage to make that  _thing_  go?"

louis gasps. " _her_  name is rizzo," she scolds. harry snorts, and louis blushes, and mumbles something about grease. "fine, how do  _you_ propose we get around then, if you aren't willing to walk, and i'm not willing for fork out a billion dollars for a taxi?"

"easy," harry shrugs. "i'll just borrow a bike from the hotel. they do like, day rentals, or whatever. you'll be able to keep up with me on a bike, right?"

louis glares at her. "i'm more worried about  _you_ keeping up with  _my_ skateboard," she snaps, and harry grins. 

*

it turns out that harry is surprisingly coordinated on a bike, and manages to keep pace with louis pretty easily. when they stop to buy some snacks, harry digs through her bag and produces some printed maps of sydney, which louis promptly dumps in the ocean.

"we're on an  _adventure_ harry; maps are the opposite of fun," she explains. harry stares sadly at the ruined maps until louis lets her eat the rest of her ice cream. "look, you said we were going to be friends, right?"

"best friends," harry corrects absently, eating the ice cream with more enthusiasm than louis has ever seen before. her tongue keeps darting out and licking small kitten licks at it, and in case she wasn't already, harry seems to be on a one woman mission to ensure that louis is  _so fucked_. 

"right," she agrees, eventually. "well. any  _best friend_ of mine has to be adventurous. and spontaneous. it's like, a law. the law of tomlinson."

harry nods at her, looking serious. "that seems fair."

"it does?" louis asks. all of her friends back home ignored her rules, much to her chagrin. 

"sure," harry shrugs. "like. you're smart, and all. i trust your laws."

"i like you," louis informs her, and harrys whole face lights up as if the sun has come out. her green eyes are practically sparkling in the sunlight, and her dimples are doing  _things_ to louis' insides. 

"the feeling's mutual," harry says. "so- where to?"

"i read about this cool cliff thing, where you can like, jump into the ocean," louis says, buckling her helmet up. "it's about a twenty minute walk from here, according to google. you can swim, right?"

harry nods, biting her lip. "i'm a bit afraid of heights, though, to be honest," she says, and louis grins.

"i'll hold your hand, i promise," she teases, and harry smiles softly at her. 

on the way over to the beach, they play twenty questions in an attempt to get to know each other better,  _since we're going to be best pals and all,_  louis suggests.

"favourite movie?" harry asks.

"grease. favourite colour?" louis returns.

"blue," harry answers, staring so intently into louis' eyes that she almost crashes the bike into a pole. "um. favourite sport?"

"football. best concert you've ever been to?"

" _the script_ , earlier this year," harry answers, and louis falls off her skateboard. "i thought  _i_ was the clumsy one," harry teases, a moment later, once she's helped louis up. louis is pretty sure her knee is bleeding, but also.

"february the eighth?" she checks, and harry slowly nods her head. 

"yeah, i think so? i mean, it was in february, after my birthday, but i'd have to check the ticket, just to be sure. um. why?" harry asks, brows furrowed. she looks like a confused little kitten and the feeling that louis has shoved deep down in herself is bubbling at the surface. 

"i was there too," she says softly, before kicking off on her skateboard. harry catches up in a few seconds, and louis pointedly doesn't look at her. 

"what do you want to be when you're older," harry asks after a few minutes of silence. louis chews on her lip as she thinks.

"i'd love to be acting, like, professionally, but. i'm not good enough, maybe," she shrugs. "i'll probably go to uni and get a teaching degree; english and drama, i guess."

harry's silent for a beat, before- "i'd see any movie you were in," she says, and louis risks a glance at her. she's grinning, shyly, and louis feels her own lips turn up. 

"what will you do?" she asks then, "if the photography thing doesn't work out."

it's harry's turn to shrug this time. "i really like baking, so. there's that, i guess. or teaching, as well. maybe english and music. i'm an alright singer, i think, and i'm getting better on the guitar, so."

louis squints at her. "i could see it," she says, and harry frowns. "you being a singer, i mean. you've got the look for it, at least." harry's cheeks turn a pretty pink, and louis focuses her gaze back on the road ahead of them. "your turn," she prompts, and harry goes  _oh_.

"um. favourite band, or musical artist in general, i guess?"

this stumps louis, because she doesn't believe in limiting herself to only one thing, ever. certainly not in music, when there's so many good songs out there. "i quite like  _the fray_ ," she says, after a long moment. " _look after you_ , is probably my number one favourite song, by them at least. and lately i've been getting really in to adele."

harry beams at her. "i  _love_ adele! her song,  _chasing pavements_ , is probably my all-time favourite, at the moment. " louis mentally curses even as harry grins at her, because she didn't need  _another_ reason to like her.

louis smiles weakly at her. "count that as my question then," she offers. "your turn."

harry doesn't miss a beat. "disney or nickelodeon?" 

"disney movies, nickelodeon television shows. favourite movie?"

"now you're just recycling my questions," harry teases. "i can't pick, anyway. i'm a sucker for sad romances; _titanic_ ,  _love actually_ , and  _the_   _notebook_ , to name a few. what football team do you support?"

louis scoffs. "man united, is there really any other answer? what about you? and you better answer carefully, because the entire fate of our friendship rests on this one question," she teases. she's only half-kidding, but really, if harry supports west ham, she'll be forced to reconsider this whole friendship thing.

"manchester, duh," harry says, rolling her eyes. "like i'd say anything else with you looking at me like that."

louis grins. "like what?"

"like my entire  _life_ depends on this answer," harry responds, smirking. her lips are the same unnatural shade of red they were when they first met, and louis has concluded that it's just naturally how harry's lips look. she's  _so jealous,_  because lipstick is a real bitch to wear when you eat as much as louis does,but mostly, she just wants to kiss them, and see if she can make them any redder.

"okay, but like, all threats aside, who do you go for?"

harry shrugs. "i'm not a huge footy fan, but my step-dad goes for manchester, so."

louis nods. "i can learn to live with that, i think." 

"are you dating anybody?" harry asks next, eyeing louis curiously. louis chokes on air, before shaking her head  _no._

"no, definitely not. single as a pringle, that's me," louis rambles, blushing. harry just smiles at her.

"i never understood that phrasing. like. pringles are definitely  _not_ single, as they come in a packet of, like, heaps, so," harry shrugs, and louis wonders- not for the first time, to be honest- what planet this girl has come from, and if her official mission was to destroy louis.

because, like, she's doing well then, so far. maybe her alien leaders should give her a raise.

"i think it's a rhyme thing," louis replies, because harry's looking at her like she has all the answers. "also, we're like, here. so."

harry jumps off her moving bike, and five minutes later when louis has but a band aid on her knee (harry praises her for being considerate enough to bring a first aid kit with her, but really: louis is not a fucking idiot, harry apparently has the coordination of a baby deer walking for the first time, and louis doesn't like blood, so. it's all for her benefit, really) they climb over some rocks, harry slipping almost every second. louis is sure her heart is going to jump right out of her chest, at this rate, but after a while, they manage to make it to the edge of the cliff in one piece.

the water is crashing into the rocks below, and the wind is thrashing around them, sending harry's curls whipping into louis' face. harry steps back from the cliff, and louis, and looks at her with utter panic in her eyes. 

"i can't do this," she says, voice quiet under the sounds of the wind and the ocean. "i- we're up  _really_ high louis, and- the water, there could be  _sharks_ ," she says, eyes darting around wildly. 

louis reaches out and gently squeezes harry's shoulder, which seems to calm her down enough to take a deep breath. "that's it- in, and out, there you go," louis coaches her through it, voice soft and gentle. "we don't have to do it if you  _really_ don't want to, but i think it'll be fun, okay? and i promise, there's no sharks down there, i googled it. they don't come close enough, or something. and you can swim, yeah?"

harry nods once. "you already asked me that," she mumbles, eyes darting over to the cliff again.

"i have a very short attention span harriet, you'll learn that once you get to know me better," louis teases, and harry's eyes flash with anger, only this time, it's directed at  _louis_ , not the cliff.

"it's  _harry_ ," she snaps. "not harriet."

louis nods solemnly. "good. harriet is a  _stupid_ name," she jokes, and harry beams at her. "so, do you think you can do it?"

harry nods slowly. "only- you'll hold my hand, right?"

louis feels her heart beat pick up as harry slips her hand into hers. "right," she promises.

*

they're still holding hands when the hit the water, but manage to get separated before louis breaks the surface. harry's only about a meter away from her, coughing water up as she attempts to brush her tangled curls out of her face. louis wipes the water from her eyes to see better, and smiles at harry when she notices her. she can see that harry's eyeliner has run down her face, so louis swims closer to her, and gently uses her thumb to wipe under harry's eye, erasing the black from her skin. harry blinks up at her, smiling.

"thanks," she says softly. louis smiles back, suddenly hyper aware of how close they are. the water's cold, but she can feel the heat radiating from harry's body.

"that was fun," louis says, moving back a bit. a flash of-  _something_ shoots across harry's face, but a smile quickly replaces it.

"yeah," she agrees. "we should do it again. but- in a bit. i think i need a moment to recover," she grins, and louis nods in agreement.

"my heart is pounding," she agrees. "feels like it might jump out of my chest." harry moves a bit closer to her, and reaches her hand across, using her other one to help her stay upright in the water. her hand is soft and warm on louis' chest, and she feels her heartbeat speed up with her touch.

harry's cheeks darken, and she smiles shyly at louis. "feels like a stampede," she whispers, and louis' loud laugh in response feels wrong somehow. harry gently uses her other hand to guide louis' hand to her own chest, and they're both just treading water now. harry's chest is warm, and her heart is racing almost as fast as louis. "this is how i feel, around you," harry says quietly, and louis drops her hand from harry's chest like she's been burnt. "oh-" harry says, looking startled. "i'm sorry, i guess i just- never mind." she's bright red now, and louis can feel the heat in her own cheeks.

"i-" she says, before cutting herself off.

harry smiles softly at her, cheeks still flaming. "it's okay, it's my fault. i've got to stop hitting on girls just because i think my gaydar is good. it's a bit off, obviously. so. could we just like, pretend this didn't happen?" she asks, looking scared and unsure.

louis debates with herself for a moment, before finally just swimming closer to harry, and kissing her firmly. their legs tangle as they both kick to keep themselves above water, and louis wraps her hands in harry's hair, pulling her body close to hers.

harry kisses like she does everything else; slow, and soft. louis kisses like  _she_ does everything else; hard, and fast. somehow, they make it work. it's not fireworks, because they're both struggling to stay above water so they don't, like,  _die_ , and louis has a brief moment where she wonders if this was what jack and rose felt like, before, well.

their teeth clash together and louis whimpers into harry's mouth as her knee accidentally lands between louis’ legs. when they finally pull apart, harry's grinning at her like she's just won the lottery. louis smiles shyly back. "your gaydar isn't  _that_ off, apparently," she says, before diving under the water and swimming to shore. the cool water helps shock her out of the post kiss haze, and when she reaches the shore, and wraps her towel around her, she looks back. harry's still treading water, but louis can see the smile on her face from the beach.

*

they ride back to the hotel in silence, and louis escapes harry's questioning eyes by claiming she has to get back to her family. harry looks disappointed in her, and louis pats her on the head gently (she's got these real big puppy dog eyes, louis practically can't help herself) before turning and, well. she wants to deny that she's running away, but when it comes to serious things, she's always been a bit of a coward.

***

harry corners her at the hotel's breakfast buffet the next day, when she's waiting in line for coffee with her mum.

"hi lou," harry chirps, before switching her mega-watt smile onto her mum. "you must be mrs. tomlinson, it's lovely to meet you," she says. "i'm harry styles."

jay beams at her, and shakes her offered hand. "call me jay," she instructs, before smiling down at louis. "you've made a friend already, pet? that's lovely."

"we met on the beach, the other day," harry pipes up, helpfully, even as louis glares daggers at her. "we're from england too- my mum, sister, step-dad and i, that's the  _we_ \- and louis and i just hit it off, didn't we?" she asks, finally making eye contact with louis, who just rolls her own in response.

"yeah," louis grunts. "well, after you  _hit the ground_ , because you apparently have two left feet, anyway," she snaps, petty and immature. she hates the feeling of being cornered, of not being in control.

"louis," her mum hisses, before smiling apologetically at harry. "i would apologise for her and say she's not normally this rude, but that would be a dreadful lie."

harry grins back at her, and louis glowers at them both. "it's okay, it's before nine, and she hasn't had a coffee yet. totally understandable." her mum is staring at harry with honest to god  _heart eyes_. it's been a total of two minutes, and already her mum is sickeningly in love with harry. it’s disgusting.

"if you want to take a seat, i can help louis carry your drinks over, when they're ready," harry offers, and louis groans under her breath. her mum's smile grows even fucking wider, and louis hopes all her teeth fall out.

"that would be  _wonderful_  harry, thank you," jay trills, sounding like a six year old girl with a crush. she kisses louis on the cheek as she leaves, and mock whispers  _maybe you could learn some manners from your new friend_ , which causes harry to giggle. louis hates everyone.

even despite louis' numerous attempts to change the subject, harry insists that they talk about the kiss, because  _ignoring all your emotions isn't healthy, louis, you've got to let it out_. louis disagrees, privately, but harry has these big fucking bambi eyes, and always gets what she wants, apparently.

"i like girls," harry begins, and louis staunchly refuses to look her in the eye. "and boys, and everything in between, and outside of those labels."

"is there a name for that?" louis asks, glancing up long enough to see harry shrug.

"i haven't really looked for one, actually. i'm fine not being labelled- prefer it, actually. basically, it doesn't matter like, what you've got going on down there," she says, gesturing vaguely towards louis' waist, causing her to blush furiously. "it's more about what's in here," she continues, holding her hand to her chest. "not like, your organs, and stuff, though i'm glad you have those and all, or else you'd be dead, basically, but i meant your heart. like, i like  _you_ , not your vagina. though, again, i'm glad you have it, and i'm sure it's lovely, and all. please um, stop me if you have anything to say, or else i'll probably just keep rambling 'till the cows come home."

"um," louis says, and harry smiles at her gratefully. "i had a- friend, last year. a girl. who was also a friend," she begins, blushing. "um. every time we drank together, we'd like. kiss, and stuff. mostly for boys attention, at least on her part. but- it wasn’t, on mine. we didn't talk about it when we were sober, because, well. doncaster's a small town, you know? those things don't happen there. especially in hannah's house, anyway. her parents are super religious. so."

harry nods. "holmes chappel is small, too. but. i don't know, i guess my mum and sister have always been so supportive, so it's never really bothered me."

"when did you know?" louis asks, her voice small. 

harry's silent for a long moment. "as long as i can remember, really. my first crush was my girl best friend, when i was six. she stole my cookie at lunch one day, and we stopped being friends, and then the next week i liked a different girl. for a long time i thought i was a lesbian, because i didn't really know that liking more than one gender was like, a thing, but. who i like doesn't really matter, as long as i like them, i think."

"i'm- i've never liked boys, the way my friends have," louis admits, quietly. "i don't- the word les-," she cuts herself off, and stares down at her toes. "none of the words feel right, but. i guess that's what that is, right?"

harry shakes her head. "you don't have to use any word, if that makes it easier," she offers. "i mean. you're just louis. i like louis."

"louis likes you too," she returns, smiling shyly. harry's staring at her like she wants to kiss her again, but louis is hyper aware that her family is only meters away.

"come to my hotel room, after dinner?" harry suggests, picking up on louis' glance towards her mum. "i'm sharing with my sister, but i'm sure she wont mind if we watch a movie, or something."

louis nods slowly. "i'll have to check with mum, in case she's got anything planned, but. sounds good."

when the coffees are ready, harry helps louis cart them to her table. jay takes hers from harry with a polite  _thank you dear, i'd love it if you joined us for dinner tomorrow, if your mum is okay with that?_  and lottie almost pulls louis' arm out of its socket in an attempt for hers. 

killing her sister  _may_ put a bit of a damper on this whole relaxing vibe her mum wants, so louis kicks her shin under the table and rolls her eyes as harry and her mum swap numbers. louis hates everyone, but mostly herself. 

***

louis shuffles her feet, awkwardly standing outside harry's hotel room. her mum had sent her over with a box of chocolates, that she apparently knew harry's mum liked- louis' not even going to question it- but now that she's  _here_ , she can feel the nerves settling in her stomach.

harry opens the door with a loud bang. "louis," she chirps, beaming. louis spares a moment to wonder if harry's always this fucking happy, because it was  _exhausting_ , before she notices that harry's in nothing but her pajama shorts and a tiny little tank top.

louis is going to  _die_. when the doctors or autopsy people come for her cold, lifeless body, they're going to have to just put a photo of harry's legs under  _cause of death_. 

"these are for your mum. her favourite, apparently," she says, shoving the chocolates in harry's hands, and pulling her sleeves down further over her arms. harry is beautiful, and louis' eyes are very happy about this, but the rest of her is mad and  _so_ jealous. "i don't know how  _my_ mum knows that, considering she's never even  _met_ your mum, but."

harry opens her mouth, and louis places a finger over her lips. "that wasn't an invitation to tell me. i borrowed  _grease_ from the dvd store down the road," she tacks on, storming into the room. 

harry perks up like a puppy as she follows louis, the smile never leaving her face, despite louis' bitchy tone. "gemma's out for dinner, met a boy or something," she informs louis, who sits gingerly on the end of one of the twin beds. this room is smaller than the one she's sharing with her sisters, but the mattresses are just as comfortable. harry puts the chocolates on a table, puts the dvd in the player, and hands louis the remote after fiddling with it for a moment, and getting nowhere, and then jumps onto the bed louis is sitting on. her cheeks flush a brilliant red as louis stares at her, and her shorts ride up her legs a bit, revealing even paler skin underneath. 

it's going to be a  _long_ night, louis sighs, as she starts the movie.

*

they end up singing along to the movie, even though louis usually has a very iron-clad rule that nobody sings over  _perfection-_  but then harry opens her mouth, and well. 

she's _so_  far gone, it's ridiculous. 

louis somehow winds up singing along, after harry's pleading puppy dog eyes, but keeps her mouth firmly shut when it comes to  _grease lightening_. there is just  _no way in hell_ that she can sing about girls  _creaming_  while harry's sitting close enough that the heat from her body is warming louis' legs. she's  _so_ beautiful, in her too small shirts and her stupidly red lips, and her curls all pulled into a messy pony tail, and louis is  _so_ unbelievably  _fucked_.

when the movie is finished (stopped before the car flies off into the end, because  _what_ kind of stupid nonsense is that, honestly), louis stares awkwardly at harry. "um. i guess we should get some sleep?"

harry frowns. "it's only eight thirty," she reminds louis, who flinches. 

"right. um. time zones, you know," she explains, pointedly ignoring harry's giggles. 

"we never  _did_ finish twenty questions," harry suggests softly, and louis shrugs. "it was your turn," harry reminds her.

"right. um," louis repeats, thinking. "do you have any pets?"

harry smiles. "a cat, called dusty. she's meant to be gemma's, but she's off at uni now, and plus, dusty's always liked me best."

"who wouldn't," louis teases, and harry smiles.

"do you have a favourite sister?" harry asks next.

"fizzy," louis shrugs. "i mean, like, i know i'm not supposed to pick, but. lottie's way different from me, and the twins are so young that they're practically my own kids. plus, i spent most of my early teenage years changing their diapers, so it's kind of hard to like them."

harry laughs. "you love them," she accuses, and louis rolls her eyes. "no, seriously, the way you talk about them. i can tell."

"they're my  _sisters_ haz, of course i love them. doesn't mean i  _like_ them," louis counters. harry blinks at her.

"haz?" she asks, even as louis mentally hits herself.

"sorry, stupid nickname, just kind of slipped out," she shrugs. "um, when did your parents split up?" harry's face darkens, a bit, and louis feels proper guilty for trying to change the subject to something so harsh. "sorry, that's a bit personal, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

harry shakes her head, curls bouncing in her pony tail. "no, it's fine. um. when i was little. um, about seven, i think? dad just kind of- walked out. mum met robin a few years ago, and well. she smiles a lot more now, so everything feels a bit better, you know?" louis bites her lip, and nods. "um. what happened with your parents? if you're okay saying?"

"dad left when i was a baby," louis shrugs, frowning. "mark's been around as long as i can remember, but- i don't think it'll be for much longer, really. he's never quite forgiven me for not being his kid, i guess, and it's really drawn a wedge between him and mum. they've split up, and it's all my fault."

harry launches across the bed and engulfs louis in her arms. "don't you  _dare_ even think that louis tomlinson," she scolds, hugging louis so tight she's sure her chest will be crushed. harry smells like the sea, and louis finds that she doesn't really care. this would be a nice way to go, she thinks. wrapped in harry’s warm arms. when they pull apart, it’s only slightly, and for a second before she leans in to brush her lips across harry’s. they’re just as soft as she remembered, and she gasps into the kiss as harry tangles her hands in louis’ hair.

the door slams open, and louis pulls away from harry like she’s been burnt. harry frowns at her, for a moment, before turning to glare at the girl standing in the doorway.

“jesus gemma, do you have to do that _every time_ you come back? honestly, the door is going to _break_ at this rate,” harry complains, while louis attempts to subtly straighten herself up.

“you must be louis,” gemma chirps, happily ignoring harry as she sticks a hand out for louis to shake. louis slips her hand in gemma’s, and smiles weakly at her. “harry has told me all about you, of course. it’s nice to meet you.”

louis blinks rapidly at her, utterly convinced that harry’s entire family is from another planet, because no people on earth are this beautiful, honestly.

“hi,” she says stupidly, her hand going limp in gemma’s, causing gemma to giggle.

“h didn’t mention you were this shy,” she laughs, and louis blushes.

the door opens again, a second later, though much more gently this time. “gemma darling, you’ve got to stop attempting to break the door,” a voice says, and a woman that looks exactly like harry, only older, appears in the door frame. “we can’t exactly afford to buy a replacement for the hotel when we leave, so if you need to take your anger out on something, use the pillows.” she smiles brightly when she notices louis, who quickly reaches up to flatten her hair from where harry was grabbing it before. “you must be louis,” she says, her voice gentle. “i’m anne, harry and gemma’s mum. it’s lovely to meet you.”

louis jumps off the bed and offers her hand to anne before she gets the chance, wanting to make as good of an impression on harry’s mum as harry did with hers. “louis tomlinson,” she introduces herself. “and it’s lovely to meet you as well. thank you for letting me stay the night.”

“lou’s mum sent over chocolates for you,” harry pipes up, grabbing them off the table.

“oh, my favourites!” anne exclaims. “how lovely of her. louis, darling, we’d love it if your family joined us for dinner sometime soon, if we can find a date that suits us all.”

louis blushes again, and nods her head. “i’m sure she’d love that mrs. styles.”

anne laughs. “call me anne, please, love,” she instructs, and louis nods her agreement. “okay, i’m off to bed then. robin wants to watch a movie before we sleep, but i’ll see you all bright and early for breakfast?”

gemma groans. “not _too_ early please, i need my beauty sleep.”

harry grins. “well _i_ don’t, because i was blessed with natural good looks, unlike you. bright and early is fine with me mum,” she teases, and gemma throws a pillow at her.

anne just laughs, and kisses them both on the cheek. “goodnight girls, see you in the morning.”

“night mum,” the chorus, and louis waves her goodnight.

gemma smiles at louis when the door shuts softly behind her mum. “great, now that she’s gone, we can get down to business. what are your intentions with my baby sister?”

harry scoffs, even as she blushes. “gemma! you promised you wouldn’t do this,” she scolds, and louis is 100% sure her cheeks are as red as harry’s.

gemma just shrugs. “you don’t bring home many girlfriends, so i thought i’d better take advantage while i could.”

“um. technically, she _still_ hasn’t brought home a girlfriend,” louis interrupts, before blushing a deeper red when both girls turn to look at her, harry with a raised eyebrow and frown on her face. “i mean, considering we’re in australia, and this is a hotel and all.”

harry laughs, and intertwines their fingers, smiling softly at her when louis feels her entire body clench up. gemma just beams at her. “i like her,” she declares. “funny, and cute too. you’re allowed to keep her h.” harry beams at her sister, and louis smiles softly. “however, if you hurt my sister, i’m not afraid to kick your ass,” she continues, glaring at louis, whose smile freezes on her face. “got it?” she fixes a glare on louis, who gulps and nods her head.

“got it,” she squeaks, and gemma laughs again.

“i’m off to shower then,” she says, rummaging around in her suitcase. “don’t do anything i wouldn’t do,” she calls over her shoulder, heading into the bathroom.

“that still leaves us a hell of a lot of things to do,” harry calls back, cheekily grinning at louis, who wonders if this blush will ever fade. “sorry about her,” harry says a moment later. “she means well, but-”

“it’s fine, honestly,” louis replies. “um. was it just my imagination, or, well- did you look a bit sad, before, when i corrected gemma about us being, well, um. girlfriends?”

it’s harry’s turn to blush, but she manages to make even that look pretty. “well- i quite like the idea, i think.” louis kisses her again, because she can’t not, at this point. harry pushes her gently, until they’re laying down on the bed, harry hovering over her. the heat radiating from her is burning, and louis never wants to do anything in her life ever again, other than kiss harry styles.

then harry’s hand softly grazes her boob, and louis’ hips buck right off the bed. “oh my god, do that again,” she hisses into harry’s mouth. she vaguely realises that harry laughs, afterwards, but then there’s a _hand_ on her _boob_ and her brain short circuits a bit. she moans into harry’s mouth, and harry slips her hand underneath louis’ shirt, and wiggles her fingers under her bra, and the direct skin on skin contact practically causes louis to come right then and there.

“god, you are so beautiful,” harry murmurs, pulling her lips away from louis’. her fingers gently rub against louis’ nipple, which hardens instantly.

“harry- we can’t- _oh my god_ ,” she moans, as harry wiggles her knee in between louis’ thighs. louis hasn’t been this close to anybody, ever, has never felt this kind of desire, this kind of heat between her legs. harry styles is actually going to be the death of her. “your sister is only in the next room,” she groans, even as she grinds herself down on harry’s leg.

“she takes long showers, it’s fine,” harry whispers, fingers reaching around to unclasp louis’ bra. louis barely even notices harry undoing her own bra, until she guides louis fingers underneath her shirt. harry’s breasts are larger than her own, and fit comfortably in louis’ hands, and the idea of touchinganother girl like this sends another rush of warmth down louis’ body. “i- we aren’t going to have sex, because i know you’re not ready for that, just yet. and we only just met, and all,” harry whispers, and louis tries _really hard_ to focus on her words, and not the feel of fingers on nipples, or knees in between thighs. “but- this is an okay compromise, right?”

louis groans again, as harry pushes her knee against her. her pyjama pants are only thin, and louis is sure that harry can feel how wet she is on her bare leg. when harry’s fingers pull gently on her nipple, she bites down on her lip unwillingly; but then _that_ draws a loud moan out of harry’s mouth, and that has louis grinding down _hard_ on harry’s knee. her hands tighten around harry’s waist, nails digging hard enough into her skin to leave marks, and louis _likes_ that, likes the idea of branding her, somehow.

it takes a few more minutes of harry tugging at her nipples, and sucking on her neck before louis realises that she wont be able to get off like this, and she groans in frustration. she’s too wet now; unable to find the friction she needs.

a moment later, harry slips a hand down louis’ trousers, and louis feels her entire body seize up before harry’s fingers touch her gently, the cotton from her panties providing a barrier between skin on skin contact. “is this okay?” harry questions, gently. louis isn’t sure she can talk right now, and so just weakly pushes her hips up into harry’s fingers. she groans louder than ever when harry’s fumbling fingers find her clit, and harry kisses her harder, rubbing against her like her life depends on it. it’s dirty, and quick, and when louis comes, she moans harry’s name.

afterwards, louis panics. “um- did you want me to- well- should we like, switch- i mean-”

harry just laughs, and gently rolls off of her, and snuggles up next to her. “maybe tomorrow. gemma should be finishing up in the bathroom soon, and you need some sleep, and some time to like, deal with all of this.”

louis bolts up, almost smacking harry’s head with her own. “oh my god,” she groans. “there’s no _way_ gemma didn’t hear that. she’s going to _kill_ me.”

harry laughs, and gently pulls her back to, kissing her softly. “the water’s still running lou, it’s okay, i promise.”

louis sighs, but relaxes anyway. “fine, but we’re waking up before your sister, and sneaking out of here so she doesn’t _kill_ me, okay? louis teases, and harry barks out a laugh before hugging her tighter. they fall asleep like that, legs intertwined and the feel of harry’s heartbeat underneath louis’ hands, and louis lies awake longer than harry, downright terrified of gemma or harry’s mum catching them like this, the room smelling of sex, until the next morning, when gemma rolls out of bed with hair rollers in, and a face mask on, and harry and louis laugh so hard they fall off their bed, and then they  _keep_ laughing. harry ends up with a twisted ankle, and louis has a large bruise on her thigh, but it was worth it, harry insists.

***

the next day, louis’ mum invites harry to spend the day with her family, and after clearing it with anne, lou takes harry to the tomlinsons’ hotel rooms. the twins fall for harry almost as quickly as louis did, and after a _long_ shopping trip together, they demand harry photographs them in their new clothes; harry goes through almost three rolls of film before louis tells the twins to get into their pyjamas for a movie night. after some pizza, lottie heats up some popcorn while fizzy puts _the little mermaid_ on. harry gently braids lottie’s hair, and then daisy’s, while phoebe sits behind harry and messily braids her curls. after a bit of shuffling around, they manage to form a ‘braid train,’ which makes fizzy giggle; _like monkeys picking fleas_ , she laughs, as harry’s gently fingers work louis’ soft hair into a braid.

harry is quiet where louis is loud, and calm where she’s stormy, and harry fits into her family in all the ways louis has ever dreamed of

***

when their mothers meet, they become best friends instantly, and the next thing she knows, louis is being dragged on a camping trip in some random forest with harry’s family. after two hours of attempting to set up their tent, louis finally gives up, and bribes the twins to do it for her; she gives them five pounds and a promise to sneak them some soft drink later, and the tent is up within minutes. when the sun goes down, harry’s stepfather sets up a campfire, and they sing together during a dinner of sausages and noodles; at first, it’s just silly campfire songs, and nursery rhymes to make the twins giggle, but then harry whips out her guitar- _i’ve only had like, a few lessons, so i can’t do anything super fancy, but. i know a couple songs, kind of, so sing with me lou?-_ and they find out that their voices actually blend really well together. harry’s voice is deep in all the ways louis wishes her voice was, but surprisingly, her higher voice sounds nice, coupled with harry’s.

“we've been trying to convince haz to try out of x-factor or something for ages,” gemma says, and harry blushes.

“i've got the band, with will and haydn and stuff. i can't just  leave them,” she protests, and louis rubs her shoulder.

“haz, you're like- crazy good. you could be the next miley cyrus, or something,” louis says, and harry beams at her. “then when you're off being famous, i can sell all your secrets to a pop magazine, and become rich,” she jokes, and harry hits her with her fly swatter. 

(she kisses her later, in their shared tent after everyone's gone to sleep, and louis falls asleep with swollen lips and a hand tangled in hers, so. 

worth it, she thinks.)]

***

louis spends the next few days sightseeing with her mum and sisters, and tries to pretend she isn’t pining of harry; her mum looks at her knowingly a lot, and pretends not to notice when louis sneaks away for a few hours, and comes back with bruised lips.

three nights before they’re meant to leave, louis and harry get permission from their mums, and drag a tent down to the beach for a night. they watch the sunset together, and swim for a while, and when they’re all wrinkled, and sunburnt, louis drags harry into their tent, kissing her so hard she’s worried she’ll draw blood.

she pushes harry down onto one of their sleeping bags- she doesn’t know whose it is, and it really doesn’t matter, since she knows they’ll end up curled around each other tonight anyway- and harry murmurs _yes, please,_ over and over again as louis kisses her neck. when louis’ shirt falls off her shoulders and she shrugs her arms out of it, and she's just sitting there in her bikini in front of a girl who is literally examining every inch of her, she knows she  _should_  be more nervous, but she's not. and that's how she knows it's  _right_.

harry gently undoes both of their bikini tops, and when her fingers glide over louis’ nipples, they harder instantly, causing harry to groan, _i want you_.

“you’ve got me,” louis tells her. “i- i’m ready, and i want this, and you, and, _please_ ,” she moans, as harry’s fingers tighten.

“are you sure?” she asks, breathing hard. louis just kisses her, and wiggles out of her bikini bottoms.

“yes,” she says, gently pulling harry’s hand down, and letting her feel how absolutely _soaking_ wet she is. “i’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

harry’s fingers are strong, and sure, and louis just about passes out when harry slowly inserts one, and then two inside her. “you’re so wet, oh my god,” she mumbles, looking at louis with pure amazement. louis dimly thinks that maybe it’s time she helped harry out a bit, but she can barely move. she mangages a sort of gurgle in response before she reaches her hand down, pausing when harry gently stops her. “let me just focus on you, babe, we have all night,” she tells her. “just, lie back, and let me do this,” harry continues, and louis swears she actually blacks out at that. harry kisses her hard, before she shuffles around, and suddenly there’s hot breath on her lower stomach, and louis feels like she might faint, or die, and _oh my god,_ the police are going to find her like this, dead with harry styles’ _tongue_ inside her. “i can hear you thinking from here,” harry says, grinning up at her. “stop it, it’s distracting,” she commands, before her lips close around louis’ clitoris.

louis’ head snaps back so fast she thinks her neck might just break, but then harry’s tongue starts moving _inside of her,_ and she can’t breathe, panting out harry’s name over and over again, as her tongue does all sorts of things that louis has only ever dreamed of. louis comes moments later, with two of harry’s fingers inside of her, and her mouth latched onto her clitoris.

“jesus christ,” she says, when harry grins up at her, mouth glistening with _louis_.

“no, just harry,” she jokes, smirking. louis yanks her up and kisses her, hard, tasting herself on harry’s lips; it sends another rush of warmth down her body, and she groans. “please, can you-” harry asks, voice higher than normal. louis nods into the kiss, and wiggles her fingers into harry’s bikini bottoms.

“i want to see you,” she murmurs, blushing a bright red. harry smiles gently at her, and helps louis take off her bikini bottoms, and then, without any trace of embarrassment, spreads her legs. “you’re beautiful,” louis says, after a few moments of open-mouthed staring. “i am not worthy,” she continues, over harry’s giggles and protests. harry pulls her in and kisses her again, and louis, fumbling, starts exploring harry with her fingers; she’s not as sure as harry was, and she’s not sure she can handle going down on her just yet, but when harry groans loudly, and says _yes, right there, please,_ she figures that she’s doing okay anyway.

harry’s wetter than she was, and louis manages to slip four small fingers inside her, thumb working on her clit while she kisses her neck; harry comes like that, mumbling louis’ name, and thanking god.

“nope, just me,” louis replies, cheekily, as harry gazes at her with sparkling eyes.

after that, they fall asleep almost instantly, sticky hands intertwined, and louis thinks  _i love you_ so loudly at harry, that she has to have heard it, somehow.

***

the next day, louis' mum joins anne and des for lunch, and gemma takes louis' sisters to the movies, so harry joins louis in her room, for a movie marathon of their own. harry lets herself in while louis is microwaving some popcorn, and when she's down, louis settles down in harry's arms, blowing her fringe out of her face. 

"i need a hair cut," she whines, and harry gently pulls the hair tie out of her hair and her ponytail falls out. harry's fingers are soft as they comb through her hair, brushing the tangles out. 

"gem's got scissors in our room," harry offers, quietly. "i'm sure she wouldn't mind me borrowing them."

louis beams at her. "i knew i liked her," she says, and harry smiles maybe. "maybe i'm dating the wrong styles," she muses, and harry's smile quickly fades into a pout. 

"and maybe i'll forget how to cut straight" harry jokes, and louis kisses her. harry smiles into the kiss, before standing up and pulling louis with her. 

when they're finished, thirty minutes later, louis runs her hand over the back of her now naked neck. she grins at harry in the mirror, and harry smiles back. "i'm a proper lesbian now," louis proclaims, and harry rolls her eyes. 

"so last night when you had four of your fingers inside me, you were straight?" harry retorts, and louis almost chokes on nothing before a large grin spreads across her face. 

"keep making crude jokes at my expense and i may just decide to keep you," she informs harry, who leans down to kiss her. 

"i certainly hope so," harry whispers, into the kiss. "i mean. i know we haven't talked about it, really, but i would like that. to be kept, i mean."

she's blushing, and louis kisses her to shut her up. "i thought you knew," she says softly, and harry cocks and eyebrow in confusion. "that i- that i love you," louis tells her quietly, stumbling over the unfamiliar words. she says them to her mum, every day, and even her sisters, on occasion, but she's never said them to a girl before. she's never  _felt_ like this for a girl before.

harry beams so wide that louis flinches, because  _surely_  smiling that big hurts. "you only just came out," harry shrugs. "and like- only to me, really. i wouldn't have been surprised if we went back to england and you sort of- pretended nothing happened."

louis fidgets awkwardly with her bracelet. "i'm gonna tell my mum tonight, i think," she whispers, and harry's lips brush her cheek. 

"i love you," she replies. "just in case that wasn't clear already."

(when harry's family comes back later, louis' shirt is on backwards, and harry's skirt is on inside out, and gemma laughs so hard she cries;  _watching movies my ass,_ she eventually manages to say, through her giggles. louis blushes a beat red, and anne pats her gently on the head.  _you'll have to come for dinner, when we're back in england. all of harry's girlfriends do._

louis raises an eyebrow at that, and harry blushes.  _one girl, mum, i had one girl over, don't make it sound like i'm sleeping around_.

gemma laughs at that, and points out that she  _is_ sleeping with a girl she literally met eight days ago, and harry throws a pillow at her and stomps out, louis trailing behind her, face as red as hary's sun burnt back.)

***

after louis walks harry to her room, she delays going back to her own long enough that her mum eventually texts her, asking if she's coming back anytime soon. louis sighs and heads up to their room, slipping in the door quietly, wondering how on earth she's going to do this.

her mum is sitting on her bed, and louis can hear the television coming from the adjourning room, and guesses her sisters are all in there. she briefly debates just skipping this whole coming out thing, and joining her sisters, but- she caves in with one  _look_  from her mum, and crawls into her lap instead.

"you love her," her mum says, likes she's telling her that the sky is blue. louis tenses up for a moment, and her mum rubs her back. "it's okay lou, i've known for awhile," she says, and louis feels the weight lift off her shoulders. 

"really?" she asks, voice small. her mum laughs. 

"you didn't really think that i thought you and hannah were just friends, did you?" her mum jokes, and louis manages a weak smile. 

"it doesn't bother you? that i'm g-gay?" she asks, stumbling over her words. it's the first time she's ever said them aloud before, and she sighs in relief when her mum shakes her head so forcefully that her entire body vibrates. 

"of course not lou," she exclaims. "it's just a part of you. like- like lottie likes oranges and you like girls." louis smiles at the compassion, and makes me a mental note to relay it to harry, which quickly turns her smile into a frown. 

"i- i'm gonna miss her," she sniffs, and jay pulls her in tighter.

"we can see her back in england love, her family don't live too far away," jay reassures her. 

"they're two hours away," louis moans, like its the end of the world. her mum runs her fingers through louis' newly cropped hair and louis' throat hurts. "and she's gonna be super busy with school, and i'm meant to be starting uni, and-"

"and if you really love her, we'll find time to visit her. or she can come up and stay for awhile, it doesn't matter. but i promise lou, this doesn't just end because we're going home," her mum murmurs. louis sighs and cuddles in closer to her. 

"maybe it'll be like grease," she whispers. "and haz will start up at my school and i'll be so embarrassed because she thinks i'm cool, when in reality-"

"you're a raging dork," lottie finishes, smirking at louis as she walks into the room.

"enough of that," jay sighs tiredly. "your sister is sad, be nice."

lottie offers louis a small smile. "this  _is_  me being nice," she protests, and louis grins back. 

"she's got a point mum," louis agrees, and jay smiles. 

"come cuddle," she tells lottie who rolls her eyes but piles in the bed anyway. "we're having a moment," jay informs lottie when she's cuddled in with them. lottie's eyes light up. 

"did lou finally come out?" she squeals, and louis gapes at her. 

"did  _everybody_ know?" she squeaks, and lottie smirks. 

“you’re the biggest lesbian i know lou, honestly, i don’t think anybody was fooled for a second,” lottie teases.

lottie grins, and louis hides her face in her jumper. "i hate you both," she mutters, and her mum and sister each plant a sloppy kiss on her cheek. 

"so- is harry your girlfriend?" lottie sing songs, and louis pokes her head out of her jumper to glare at her. "you're blushing," lottie notes, gleefully.

louis scowls. "i'm fucking not," she protests.

she fucking is. her cheeks feel like they're on fucking  _fire_. her mum doesn't even reprimand her for swearing, just cuddles into her closer. that's how louis knows how fucked she is, really. lottie's smile crumbles, and she hugs louis tighter. "it'll be okay," she murmurs into louis' ear. 

it takes another thirty minutes, and three more of her sisters piling into the small bed, but when louis falls asleep, squashed between the twins and fingers linked with fizzy's, it's with a smile on her face. 

***

harry and her sister accompany louis' family to the airport. gemma kindly sits with the girls, and quietly teaches the twins how to braid hair, using fizzy as a model, and louis and harry sit as close as they possibly can in a little cafe, sharing a strawberry milkshake. louis is wearing one of harry's summer dresses  _so we'll have to see eachother, at least once, because that's my favourite dress, and i'm not letting you keep it forever_.

they're silent, for the most part. at one point, harry pulls her ipod out and they have one of the earbuds each. she puts on a mayday parade song, and sings along softly, whispering the lyrics into louis' ear.

louis does absolutely not cry when harry sings  _we made love by the ocean, sunsets never were so bright, and the skies never so blue. you opened up into my arms, and we laughed as i held you._

(okay, so she  _does_ , but harrys voice is like,   _really good_ , and also, there was something in her eye, like, sand, probably, because that's what makes up like, 95% of australia, so.)

"i'm declaring this our song," harry says, when it's over. 

louis smiles sadly at her. "and what does that entail?" she asks, and harry grins back.

"whenever you hear it, you have to stop whatever you're doing, and call me."

"and if we're together when we hear it?" louis asks.

harry squeezes her fingers. "then we have to dance."

louis rolls her eyes. "you couldn't dance to save your life, styles."

"rude," harry huffs. "but true," she allows, with a sigh. "guess i'm lucky that you're always gonna be there to help me through it then, right?"

louis leans forward, and kisses her passionately. "right," she agrees, minutes later.

louis rests her head on harry's shoulder for the next twenty minutes, before jay appears in front of them, looking guilty. "we've got to board now lou," she says softly, nodding her head over to where her sisters are standing with their carry on bags. louis' throat hurts, but she nods anyway. "i'll give you a minute to say goodbye," jay says, and harry and louis shake their heads.

"we've said goodbye, it's fine mrs. tomlinson," harry says, smiling sadly up at her. "and plus- it's not  _really_ goodbye, is it?"

jay smiles, and ducks down to kiss harry's head. "i certainly hope not harry, louis has already learnt the word  _please_ in the two weeks you've known her, i can't  _wait_ to find out what other niceties she'll pick up if you two keep seeing each other."

louis rolls her eyes as harry and her mum giggle. "i'll start with  _thank you_ ," harry teases. "we'll try for the matching set, before we move on to anything harder."

"i hate you both," louis grumbles, as harry's fingers tighten around hers. they stand up, and harry engulfs her in a hug. they fit perfectly together, harry's arms going around her waist, and louis' hands wrapping around harry's neck. 

"love you too," harry whispers into her ear, before kissing her fiercely. louis blinks back tears as they pull apart, all the while wondering when the hell she got so damn emotional, and watches as harry hugs all over her sisters goodbye. 

"we'll see her back in england, stop being such a baby," lottie hisses to her, and louis rolls her eyes, but wipes the tears away anyway. 

she kisses gemma on the cheek, hugs harry one last time, and then follows her mum to the boarding area. she feels harry's eyes boring holes in the back of her head, but doesn't turn around because she knows that if she did, she wouldn't be able to get on the plane.

as it is, she cries the second she sits down in between the twins, who cuddle her for the full twenty six hour flight. daisy spoon feeds her macaroni and cheese, and phoebe reads her a story, but eventually, they drift off. louis stares out the window for the remainder of the flight, and it's not until she's finally home, in her own bed, that she finds the notebook harry snuck into her bag.

it's a scrapbook, that harry's made, and it's full of  _them_. it starts off with photos of harry on the plane, with gemma, and her mum. then photos of their hotel, and then photos of louis, face up, smiling at the sun. louis, asleep on the beach, the umbrella making pretty shadow patterns on her back. louis, skateboarding, louis, swimming. louis, dressing up with her sisters. louis, kissing harry's cheek. louis, smiling at harry. louis, louis,  _louis_.

louis hadn't really grasped that harry loved her, until now. harry's made her beautiful, in these photos. she looks happy, and in love; she's  _glowing_.

the last page is a picture of them both, kissing, in the forest. louis doesn't remember taking it, and there's a note next to it.  _gemma thought you'd like this. see you soon._

louis falls asleep hugging the scrapbook of memories, and dreams of harry. 

***

louis has never been good at waiting in lines, but today she's even antsier, hair standing up on the back of her neck. she knows that the bouncing around is really starting to annoy her mum, who still hasn't given up trying to settle her down. stan's sick of her, by this point, and has wandered off somewhere. probably to get a burger, louis thinks. she'll be really mad if he doesn't bring her one when he comes back.

"here love, have some of the apple pieces i packed for you," her mum says, all but shoving them down louis' throat. she doesn't know why, but her mum seems to have picked up on this idea of sugar being the reason louis was always so hyper. louis mentally reviews her diet before being forced to agree that she could  _possibly_  be right. 

"mum," she whines, drawing the word into two syllables. her mum gives her a  _look_  and louis sighs as she takes an apple piece, shoving it in her mouth. "i don't know why you insist on trying to turn me into a rabbit," she mumbles, through her chewing. 

it's at that moment that she sees her. the half chewed apple piece falls from her mouth and louis would spare a moment to feel embarrassed- as her mum clearly is, snapping out a sharp _louis tomlinson_ \- but everything is blurry and distant except for  _her_. louis knew that she'd never forget those green eyes, but somehow, they're even brighter than her she remembered. a slow smile lights up harry's face, and even though hundreds of people separate them, louis feels at home in ways she hasn't since she left australia, months ago. 

she's quiet for the rest of the day, and her mum and stan (back, with _out_  a burger for louis, who managed to ignore him for all of two and a half minutes before caving in and demanding the rest of his coke,  _it's the very least you can do staniel,_ she tells him, and he rolls his eyes but hands it over anyway, with an annoyed _that's not my name lou_ ) keep eyeing her curiously, and reassuring her that her voice is good enough, that she's all but guaranteed three yeses, and louis tries to tell them that she  _knows_ she's good enough, thank you very much, but she doesn't quite feel like correcting them and telling them about harry just yet. her mum knows her about her like, existing, sure, but right now, she's content with private little smiles being shared across the sea of people.

they never really lose sight of each other, and even though louis can feel her phone burning a hole in her pockets, practically screaming out the number harry keyed in there months ago, they don't text. when she hears harry's audition, louis knows that bigger and better things are right around the corner for both of them, and she'll have all the time in the world to share harry. but right now, she's happy keeping this little secret to herself.

(louis tells harry exactly that, whispering into her ear when harry launches herself into her arms after simon utters the words  _we’re putting you in a girl band_  and harry places a sloppy kiss on her cheek that the cameras don’t catch.

 _we’re gonna win this lou_ , harry whispers on the second night spent at the bungalow. the other three girls have gone to sleep, liam claiming they all need time to rest their voices. she’s pretty sure that niall just ate too much and needs to sleep it off, and zayn had a book in her bag that louis caught her thumbing through a few times, but yeah, rest.

louis grins back at harry, flashing her private smile, the one all the girls will eventually nickname her  _harry smile_ , and says  _yeah haz, i think we will_ ).

 

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr post can be found [here](http://slytherin-larrie.tumblr.com/post/132184811879/sexinamartiniglass-all-i-ever-wanted-was-to/)  
> thank you so much for reading. i would truly love it if any of you could spare the time to watch this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEUumIaxM9M&app=desktop), and then consider sharing it or donating to [this cause](http://prf.donorpages.com/TeamEnzoFundraising/CatherinaLlontop/). a little boy that i know was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease called progeria. this disease causes him to age at rapid rates, and children who suffer from this have a life expectancy of only 15 years. enzo is currently the only child with this disease in the entirety of australia, and he and his family would appreciate any awareness you could raise or any funds you can spare. if you're unable to financially help, please consider even sharing the video so maybe it will reach someone who is able to. again, thank you for reading.
> 
> as usual, find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/slytherinlarry_) and [tumblr](http://slytherin-larrie.tumblr.com).


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